MANILA, Philippines – A win in the East Asia Super League remained elusive for San Miguel after it absorbed a 71-62 road loss to the Hong Kong Eastern at the Southorn Stadium in Wanchai on Wednesday, December 18.
The Beermen almost climbed out of a 20-point hole but ran out of steam in the fourth quarter as they fell to 0-3 in Group A.
June Mar Fajardo put up 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in the losing effort that saw San Miguel fall apart after getting within a single possession with over six minutes remaining.
Down 19-39 at one point, the Beermen chiseled away at their deficit and inched within 58-60 following a Fajardo hook shot only to witness Eastern unleash an 11-0 blast capped by a Chris McLaughlin tip-in to restore order.
By the time San Miguel scored again off an Andreas Cahilig triple, the hosts were already ahead 71-61 with a minute left and the result beyond reach.
Torren Jones tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Beermen, while fellow import Quincy Miller struggled, churning out only 5 points on a 2-of-9 clip.
No other player scored in double figures for San Miguel, which stands as the only team in the EASL without a victory.
McLaughlin chalked up 16 points, 17 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Kobey Lam posted 19 points for Eastern, which improved to 1-2.
The Beermen will get a chance to get back at Eastern, which is a guest team in the PBA, when they meet in the Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday, December 22, at the PhilSports Arena.
Earlier, Meralco suffered a meltdown and bowed to the reigning Korean Basketball League champion Busan KCC Egis, 72-68, at the Busan Sajik Gymnasium.
Imports DJ Kennedy and Akil Mitchell did the heavy lifting for the Bolts, but they had no answer for the Busan duo of Heo Ung and Deonte Burton as Meralco fell to an even 2-2 in Group B.
Kennedy finished with 23 points and 9 rebounds, including a layup that gave the Bolts a comfortable 68-55 cushion with over three minutes remaining.
But that sizable lead was not enough for Meralco to reassert its mastery over the Egis after the Bolts hacked out an 81-80 win in their first encounter in November.
Chalking up a game-high 31 points, Heo took over down the stretch and fired 14 straight points highlighted by 4 triples in a row before Burton put the finishing touches with 3 free throws as Busan closed it out on a 17-0 run.
Burton netted 26 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals for the Egis, who finally broke through after starting the tournament with three consecutive losses.
Mitchell had 17 points and 18 rebounds in the deflating defeat.
Meralco hopes to bounce back when it hosts Japan’s Ryukyu Golden Kings at the PhilSports Arena on January 22, while San Miguel will shoot for its first win against Japan’s Hiroshima Dragonflies on the road on January 8.
The Scores
First Game
Busan 72 – Heo 31, Burton 26, Choi 5, Lee S. 4, Leon 4, Lee G. 2, Lee H. 0, Jung 0, Epistola 0.
Meralco 68 – Kennedy 23, Mitchell 17, Kouame 8, Newsome 5, Quinto 3, Rios 3, Hodge 3, Black 2, Bates 2, Caram 2.
Quarters: 13-12, 31-31, 51-50, 72-68.
Second Game
Hong Kong 71 – Lam 19, McLaughlin 16, Yang 11, Blankley 7, Xu 5, Leung 5, Chan 4, Zhu 4, Cheung 0, Pok 0, Guinchard 0.
San Miguel 62 – Fajardo 19, Jones 19, Perez 8, Miller 5, Trollano 3, Tautuaa 3, Cahilig 3, Rosales 2, Ross 0, Lassiter 0.
Quarters: 28-14, 48-34, 60-48, 71-62.
– Rappler.com